Hello!

Welcome to the blog!

I have a very special relationship with gaming.  I'll never forget how it started.  As a youth at the age of 11, my father - against my mother's wishes at that - decided to buy me a brand new SNES for Christmas.  I think to this day it was the greatest gift I have ever received.  Not really because of the contents inside, but because of the way it was presented to me.  I remember getting this HUGE box, and being so puzzled as to what it contained.  As I opened it, I remember seeing just a plain cardboard box and being confused as an 11 year old is capable of being.  After the box was opened, there was another box inside...wrapped.  I opened it, to find another box.  So the battle continued, and after what seemed to be an eternity of unwrapping there sat a brand new SNES.  I remember the elation, and how happy it made my father.  I remember my mother, with her puzzled look and whispering of "What?! How can we afford this?!" What my father probably didn't realize is with this gift he had given me a lifetime passion. From the moment I first unwrapped that SNES and the next gift of John Madden Football 1992 & PGA Tour Golf, I was hooked.

I guess that is what this blog is going to encompass.  I still play those games to this very day, although in very different forms.  John Madden Football, with it's 16-bit tech., has now turned into a very detailed Madden 10, on a very powerful machine.  Almost 20 years later I still find joy in the world of gaming.  I will write about the games I play, what I'm looking forward to, and my thoughts on the gaming industry and where it is heading in the future.  I will mostly cover the Xbox 360, but expect the odd comment about the PS3.  I will also write about random thoughts about my life and the things I am passionate about including my family, sports, and music.

The demographic of the gaming industry has changed as a whole.  In one of my upcoming editorials, I will discuss how the industry has transformed from a "kid's game" into a full blown adult hobby and lifestyle.  The average video game player is 30 years old.  This applies to myself as well.  I will also chronicle a journey of becoming a father and how gaming and passions change while becoming a father.  

I am a 29 year old male in the midst of a huge life change.  A year ago, although happy, was living a life of relative routine.  Go to work, come home, eat, game, sleep.   Oh what a year can do.  Within that year's time I have bought a house, got engaged and am expecting my first child due February.  My life has found purpose in a year's time, and I feel ecstatic and motivated to journey on.  I am in a very special place and for the first time, feel very happy.  I have a great family, and a great fiancee whom does everything for me, including dealing with my gaming hobby.  I don't know where I'd be without her.  I also have purpose being as I have a child on the way. 

I hope you enjoy what I have to write about and expect a slew of content soon.  I will have four main components of this blog.  They will include:

1) Editorials - I will discuss the gaming industry and the issues inside of it.  My first four will follow topics including:

- Game delays/Release Dates
- EA Sports vs. 2K Sports
- 10 hr. campaigns vs. 50 hr. campaigns
- DLC

2) Reviews - First four reviews to expect are:

- Halo: ODST
- NBA Live 10
- NBA 2K10 (and a comparison of the two)
- Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising

3) Assorted Gaming News - The latest in 360 gaming info.  Impressions, links to the newest trailers, upcoming releases, and DLC/XBLA info.

4) Random Thoughts - My life, my journey, and other entertainment news including music, movies, TV and sports.

Welcome! Read, enjoy, and comment!